


letters

by rhapsodyinpink



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (except green which is a dinky little tricked out scooter), Boarding School AU, M/M, aka the shoujo anime trope fic, allura is a nosy guidance counselor, based on adorable art!, but they're also ridiculous, keith thinks it's a love letter, lance writes a letter of challenge, shenanigans ensue, shiro is a teacher, the lions are cars, they are cute and in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-07-28 13:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7643245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapsodyinpink/pseuds/rhapsodyinpink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I, uh, actually have something else for you too,” says Lance, suddenly quiet.</p><p>Keith looks up to see a thick bundle of paper mere millimeters from his face. “What is it?”</p><p>“Um, Letters. Love letters. Five of them. For every day that's passed since I punched you when you thought I was going to kiss you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. letters

**Author's Note:**

> This whole story was inspired by [this lovely comic](http://greatmastercami.tumblr.com/post/147720142607) by [greatmastercami](http://greatmastercami.tumblr.com)! Thanks so much for such a cute and funny little comic and a special shoutout to my friend [Panda](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Amiria_Raven/pseuds/battleshidge) for being my #1 cheerleader while I was writing this! Hope you enjoy :D

Lance glowers at Keith, the newest member of Class 8A at Voltron Academy. Every single time Lance so much as glances at his intense dark eyes that seem almost violet, black hair that’s cut into a mullet style (who even has a mullet these days?), and slender hands that are always covered with fingerless gloves, he’s filled with an indescribable emotion that he ultimately decides is irritation.

“He makes me so angry every time I look at him. Doesn’t he make you angry?”

Hunk stares at his best friend, eyebrow quirked with both amusement and a little bit of confusion.

“Why would Keith make me angry? He just moved here!”

“Everytime I see him, I’m just completely on edge. He’s just so— _ugh_ —he’s so annoying! All the girls are constantly falling over him. It makes me so mad.”

“Lance—”

“He looks so much better than everyone else in the school uniform and he has the nerve to act like he doesn't know it.”

“Maybe he doesn't know it?”

“That's impossible. He has to know how attractive he is. And I saw him deadlifting 350 at the gym, like how is that even possible? He looks so lean and thin! He isn't even built like a weightlifter!”

“You seem really fixated on him,” comments Pidge as she walks into the classroom and sits at her desk. “Kind of like—”

“Like he's my rival? Of course he is! He’s stealing all the attention from the ladies!”

Pidge snorts. “Sure, Lance.”

Lance stares angrily at the back of Keith’s head for the entirety of their chemistry class. He is so fixated on his irritatingly attractive classmate, in fact, that he does not notice when the teacher calls on him to answer a question, and he gets three days of detention for being inattentive in class.

Stupid mullet head.

* * *

After school, Lance sits in detention, mulling over everything that’s gone wrong over the past two weeks, ever since Keith walked into the classroom and destroyed his ability to focus. As he ponders over the situation, he realizes that the thing that annoys him the most is the fact that he can’t identify exactly what it is about Keith that irritates him so much.

It’s one thing and it’s everything, and as Lance grapples with this reality, of being entirely consumed by the existence of another person and trying to grasp onto something concrete that can explain why he’s feeling this way, one little detail suddenly pops into his mind and throbs like an open wound—the love letters.

In an age of texting and social media, letter exchanging is a student tradition that has persevered at Voltron Academy, buoyed by a mixture of sentimentality and student pride. It is one of many traditions at the boarding school, but easily the most popular one.

Once, there were many types of letters that were exchanged; but now, only two truly remain: love letters, and letters of challenge, the latter of which has almost died out, except during Sports Day, when students get overly competitive and are wont to try and psyche out their opponents on other teams.

Lance wants nothing more than to receive a love letter from a pretty girl. Unfortunately, he has yet to receive a single one.

Keith, on the other hand, had been receiving them nonstop since his first day, from almost every single girl in not only their class, but in several of the other classes as well.

It is this, ultimately, that Lance decides to fixate on, rather than the fact that his cheeks flush dark red every time Keith catches him staring at the back of his head. He has always been aware, on some level, that he is as attracted to boys as much as girls, but he’s never really thought too closely about it—and he is far from having the self awareness to recognize why exactly Keith affects him so much.

Unfortunately for Lance, Hunk and Pidge recognize his feelings for exactly what they are—a big ol’ crush—and they are determined to goad him on until he at least gains a modicum of realization that what he feels for Keith is _attraction_ , not dislike.  

* * *

The next morning at their lockers, Lance once again finds himself consumed by thoughts of a certain someone.

“Ugh, why can't I get him out of my head?”

“Who?” asks Hunk, who knows perfectly well of course—he just wants to hear Lance say it out loud.

“Keith, duh.”

“Dude, I think Pidge is right. You seem way too fixated on the poor guy. He hasn't even done anything to you.”

“Not directly, maybe, but indirectly he’s ruined everything!”

“Maybe you should write your feelings down on paper,” suggests Pidge. “I think you need to sort through a lot of emotions.”

Lance stares at her, eyes wide, before exclaiming, “Pidge, you're a genius! I'm going to write Keith a letter of challenge.”

“That's not what I—” Pidge starts, before her gaze wanders to Keith, who is standing at his locker a few steps down, staring with impatience at the growing pile of love letters that pad his locker daily. If Lance were to add a letter of challenge into the pile, Keith would probably assume it's just another love letter.

_Keith would assume it's a love letter._

A mischievous sparkle enters her eyes as she turns back to Lance with a grin.

“Yes, Lance. That's exactly what you should do.”

* * *

“Why do girls keep sending me love letters? They’re filling up my locker!” Keith asks Shiro after school, frustrated.

“They admire you, Keith.”

As the youngest teacher in the school, Shiro is well-liked and respected by the entire student body—partly because of his level head and calm personality, partly because of his attractiveness (though it is an open secret that he and the hot but mildly scary guidance counselor Ms. Allura (aka “Princess” Allura) are dating, despite the fact that they try to keep things under wraps).

Unfortunately, regardless of his best efforts, Shiro has been unable to convince the students to call him “Mr. Shirogane” instead of his first name—all thanks to a certain Katie “Pidge” Holt, who has been his neighbor and friend for years, due to his friendship with her older brother Matt. The minute the other students heard her address him as Shiro, they dropped all the formalities they had used for him and started calling him Shiro as well.

He knows he shouldn’t encourage it, but in truth, Shiro doesn’t mind. He might be turning thirty in five years, but he still feels like a high school student sometimes.

Because of the easy rapport Shiro has with the student body, Headmaster Coran has assigned him to be a mentor to the scholarship students, who usually come from less privileged backgrounds than the others.  

Keith, the newest scholarship student, seems to be in particular need of guidance.

Headmaster Coran has given Shiro a bit of download as to Keith’s background; he is a brilliant student and a talented fencer, raised by a series of foster families, the most recent of whom had actually been relieved when he had been accepted to the Garrison Institute. He has transferred to Voltron Academy for undisclosed reasons, though his history of having an extremely hot temper and acting upon it might have something to do with it, especially considering that very temper has gotten him banned from fencing competitions twice.

Coran has tasked Shiro with the duty of bonding with Keith and making sure he doesn’t act upon anger in a way that will cause harm to either him or the school.  

“I think you can get through to him, Mr. Shirogane,” Headmaster Coran had said the day that Shiro was assigned to be his mentor. “You have a way with words. I know you may be surprised that we accepted a student with such a...colorful history, we might say—but despite his rather reckless past, we saw something special in his application portfolio. Something that I believe the Garrison Institute missed when they decided he no longer belonged there.”

Shiro had been shocked. “You mean he didn’t transfer?”

“No. He was expelled.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There’s no need to overthink it, my boy. It has nothing to do with his ability to succeed here. Just make sure Keith feels comfortable here and that he understands that he belongs. It doesn’t matter how the Garrison Institute feels about him—he has a permanent place at Voltron Academy as long as he needs it.”

Shiro nodded. “Absolutely.”

Coran smiled with relief. “Excellent. I have a feeling that young man can go far, if he has the proper guidance.”

“Don’t worry, Headmaster Coran. I think I’m up to the task,” said Shiro.

“Oh yes, I believe you most certainly are!”

Despite his confident tone, Shiro had been worried after the reports of Keith’s first few days. He had heard from the teachers and dormitory wardens that despite his brilliance, Keith was hard to talk to, and he scowled more often than he smiled—for all his immediate popularity, he was rather antisocial, seeming utterly uninterested in the group activities in the student dorms or making friends with the other students and preferring to spend time alone, either at the gym or in the library.

And yet the minute that Shiro met Keith, he realized his worries were all unfounded. Keith wasn’t antisocial; he was awkward, he was unaccustomed to having people care about him for anything that didn’t have to do with his talents or abilities. He had nothing in common with most of the other students, having no family stories to share and no spare allowance to spend on activities in town.

Keith was a scholarship student in every sense of the word, and it was clear that he knew it. It was no wonder he was so solitary.

Keith seemed to sense that Shiro understood him, and to the young teacher’s surprise, he had opened up almost immediately.

Ever since then, Keith has come to Shiro whenever he has any problems, feeling free to express his worries and concerns in a way Shiro is pretty sure he does not feel comfortable sharing with anyone else.

Like what he’s doing now, his shoulders hunched inward, clearly not pleased at Shiro’s conclusion about the girls who won’t stop filling his locker with unwanted love letters.

“Yeah, maybe they admire me, but—you know—I don’t like girls that way.”

“Well, not all of them know that.”  

“I literally rejected one of them in the middle of the courtyard on my first day and told her I was gay. There was a huge crowd, too. Everyone heard. How can they not all know? And even if they didn’t know, it's rude to assume. What if I had a boyfriend?”

“I would think that he would be proud that his partner is so well-liked.”

“I don’t know, it just feels so...intrusive. I don’t know what to do. And anyway, there’s someone I— ”

Keith stops himself before he reveals too much, but Shiro smiles gently and nods with understanding. “Is it someone in your class?”

Keith sighs. “Yes. But I don’t even know if he likes guys. It’s kind of hard to tell. I mean, he’s in my face all the time. I’ve noticed that he’s just a loud person in general though, so it might not mean anything. Actually, it’s kind of annoying how loud he is, come to think of it. And I don’t want to assume anything, but— I’ve noticed him staring at me a few times. But who knows? Maybe he just stares at everyone and I’m overthinking this.”

Shiro pats Keith’s shoulder reassuringly. “You’ll figure this out, Keith. I believe in you.”

* * *

 

Allura’s eyes widen as she stares at Shiro across the dinner table that night.

“Does Keith actually talk to you?”

“Yes, of course. What, doesn’t he talk to you when he comes in for counselling sessions?”

“Not once. The most I’ve been able to get out of him at one time is maybe five words. He is extremely monosyllabic. I had thought he was simply a boy of few words. Clearly I was wrong.”

“Well, Allura, you can be a little…” Shiro paused, searching for the right word. “Resonant.”

Allura snorted. “I know what you meant to say was intimidating and you’re damn right I am. These high schoolers will never be prepared to face the challenges and struggles of dealing with difficult people in university or the real world unless they come across someone like me.”

“You and I both know that Keith understands what it’s like to struggle,” says Shiro patiently, and Allura’s expression softens as she sighs.

“Did he share the name of the boy he has a crush on? Maybe I can talk to him.”

Shiro laughs. “There you go again, trying to secretly help everyone even though you act so tough.”

“I just want the environment to be a positive one!” protests Allura, trying to sound righteous and indignant.

Shiro raises an eyebrow. “And you'll do that by setting up the students?”

Allura shrugs. “Perhaps, if that's what it will take.”

“Unfortunately, he didn't share any details. If you want to know, you'll have to ask him yourself.”

“What? No! Where's the fun in that?”

“Sorry, Princess. You've gotta do your own dirty work.”

“Why am I even dating you?” Allura responds with a pout. “Wait, don't answer that.” 

* * *

 

“Whoaaa! Where did you learn to write like that?” Hunk asks Lance after dinner while they’re hanging out in the common area of their dorm, leaning over his friend’s shoulders to peer at the uncharacteristically ornate handwriting he is using for his “letter of challenge” to Keith.

“What, calligraphy? My mom showed me. She has a side business making wedding cards and stuff and needed an assistant, so she taught me when I was like nine. It comes in handy for serious situations like this.”

“That’s seriously impressive,” replies Hunk, whistling in awe. “I had no idea you even knew how to write like that.”

Lance puffs up with pride. “I can teach you if you want. You never know if it’ll come in handy. It’s a pretty great skill.”

“Yeah, Lance, I’m sure your fancy writing is going to really intimidate Keith,” chimes in Pidge as she waltzes into the room, her voice as empty as a flat tire.

“Don’t underestimate the power of a well written letter, Pidge,” replies Lance calmly.

Hunk frowns. “Actually, what are you even writing? What exactly are you mad at him about again?”

“I’m going to tell him what all my problems with him are! His stupid hair, the fact that so many girls are all over him, how he acts so distracting in gym class…”

Pidge raises an eyebrow. “How is he distracting in gym class?”

“How can any of you pay attention to anything when he’s showing off with that fancy rapier in the corner? I can’t stop staring at it and his stupid arm muscles and I keep losing focus.”

“So Keith’s sword distracts you?” she replies, a smug grin spreading across her face.

“Come on, Pidge,” groans Hunk.

But Lance has stopped listening and doesn’t even notice the joke, intent on finishing his letter.

* * *

 

 Early in the morning the next day, Lance puts the letter in Keith’s locker and continues to circle by periodically every hour to see if he has come by yet. Eventually, however, he has to go to swim practice, and he is not there when Keith finally comes by his locker.

It’s been a long and tiring day for Keith, so when he opens up his locker to find a new flood of love letters, he is so frustrated that he doesn’t even take the time to look through them. He grabs them all and dumps them into the garbage bin at the end of the hallway, not even noticing the ornately designed red envelope with pretty calligraphy among the other letters among the pile.

So it is not surprising that Keith is completely taken back when Lance comes up and confronts him in the middle of gym class while he’s minding his own business, warming up before fencing practice.

“Hey! Didn’t you see the letter I gave you?!”

Keith stares at Lance, mind racing at the idea of receiving a love letter from _him_. Maybe he was right after all—maybe those furtive stares and his aggressive behavior every time they interact has simply been a facade for his true feelings, since he doesn’t know how to deal with them. Keith can relate to that.

A love letter from Lance. It seems too good to be true, and yet here he is, standing in front of him with a bright red face and wanting to know if he’s read it—and he already threw it away with the others. He didn’t even see it.

He looks up to meet Lance’s gaze, bright and fierce and clearly impatient.  

“Y-you too?” he stammers, a pink flush spreading across the bridge of his nose, his heart beginning to beat faster and faster.

“I—I accept!” he says, not knowing what else to say. Keith is used to rejecting these sort of confessions, not accepting them.

“Alright!” shouts Lance, curling his hand into a fist and pumping it into the air. “Let’s go!”

Keith blinks, slightly confused. “What?”

“You and me. Out in the courtyard. Let’s go.”

Keith startles, eyes widening. He’s never been one for PDA—not that he has _that_ much experience—but then again, Lance is a rather showy person, so maybe that’s why he wants to go out there. Make it public, show all the students that they’re together.

It’s bold, but Keith is surprised to find that he doesn’t really mind.

“Oh—um, okay, if that’s where you’d rather…that’s fine.”

Distracted by the promise of romance, he misses the angry, triumphant flash in Lance’s eyes as he follows him out the door.

* * *

Even as they’re walking to the courtyard, part of Lance is wondering if this is a bad idea. Keith isn’t reacting to his letter of challenge quite like he expected, and for some reason, it almost seems like he’s blushing.

Still, Lance gets ready for the fight, and he looks right at Keith as he says “Okay, let’s go on three.”

In retrospect, he should have known better when Keith blinked at him in surprise at this, but Lance has always been a bit slow to pick up on signals and doesn’t notice a thing, so fixated is he on fighting his “rival”.

On three, Keith closes his eyes.

On three, Lance goes in for the punch.  

The world suddenly seems to move in slow motion as he hits the side of Keith’s face and his eyes fly open in shock and anger.

“ _What the hell?!_ ” shouts Keith in a voice that is equally furious and hurt, and every ounce of anger that Lance has ever felt against the other boy immediately evaporates, replaced by a thick, uncomfortable feeling that’s somewhere between guilt and mortification.

“ _What did you think I was going to do?!_ ” he shouts back as he drops his hands, not knowing how else to respond or how to de-escalate the situation.

“I thought—I thought you had sent me a love letter! What else was I supposed to think it was?!”

Lance’s head is spinning and he doesn’t know what to think or do or say.

“Why would I do that—why would you think that?! _It was a letter of challenge!_ ”

Keith’s eyes are dark and incensed as he presses his hand against his cheek, which is quickly turning redder and redder as it slightly swells. He storms away without a word, angry and hurt, and Lance stares after him, feeling oddly empty and unsatisfied and guilty.

Standing alone in the empty courtyard, it’s clear to even him that he has really, really, messed things up.

* * *

 

The school is in a tizzy and rumors are flying about Keith and Lance and confessions and punches. Nobody quite knows what the truth is, and even though everyone’s asking Pidge and Hunk what’s going on since they’re friends with Lance and saw him write his letter, even they don’t have any answers.

Headmaster Coran decides that this sort of disruption is unacceptable, and assigns Shiro and Allura to figure out what is going on with the two students, but to do it without asking any of the other students what is going on, because he doesn’t want the rumor mill to get even worse.

This, of course, makes the whole process twice as complicated, because the only thing clear to Shiro is that something has gone very wrong with his mentee. As he’s sitting in his classroom trying to think about conversation strategies—something tells him that Keith isn’t going to just open up to him about what happened this time—Pidge and Hunk come slinking into the room.

Pidge edges up to his desk. “Hey, um...Shiro?”

“What is it it?”

“Hunk and I kind of have something to confess.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The whole thing with Lance and Keith...well, it’s kind of our—”

Hunk coughs.

“ _My_ fault. See, Lance totally has a crush on Keith but he’s too oblivious to figure it out and he was babbling on and on about how Keith is his rival and how he had to do something and I just wanted him to stop talking because he was getting annoying and told him to write it down on paper. He thought he should write a letter of challenge and I knew that Keith would think it would be a love letter and I thought it would be funny and a way for them to get both of their feelings out in the open. But I didn’t realize how much of an _idiot_ Lance was and now he’s gone and punched him in the face and everything’s totally screwed up.”

Shiro solemnly stares at her for a few moments, unblinking, before he sighs.

“So you’re saying that Lance actually does like Keith?”

“He doesn’t just like him, he’s like, head over heels,” cuts in Hunk. “He’s totally infatuated and he doesn’t even know it! And now Keith won’t either, because Lance screwed it up.”

“The point is, can you please help us?” adds Pidge. “Lance doesn’t have any self awareness or any brains, but we’re both tired of listening to him moan about Keith and we both think that he’ll stop if he at least goes on one date with him. We know that you talk to Keith a lot. Can you please try and convince him to give Lance a second chance? He’s a good guy, he just...doesn’t think everything through before he does it. And it kind of was our fault.”

“Whose fault?” mutters Hunk.

“Fine, fine, _my fault_ ,” replies Pidge, rolling her eyes. “So, will you? Do it for an old friend?”  

Shiro sighs. “Just this time. But all I’m going to do is suggest that he give Lance a second chance. Whether he does or not is entirely his decision, okay?”

Pidge grins. “Thanks Shiro! You’re the coolest!!”

* * *

 

Shiro walks through the long dormitory hallway before he finally gets to Keith’s door, which is shut. Despite multiple attempts at knocking and calling his name, he doesn’t answer.

Still, Shiro doesn’t give up, and finally, after a solid fifteen minutes of knocking, Keith finally comes to the door, looking frustrated and disheveled.

“ _Who the fu_ —Oh. Shiro. It’s you. Um, come in.”

Shiro frowns. “Keith, how are you doing?”

“How do you think I’m doing?” mutters Keith, before he finally looks up to meet Shiro’s gaze. “I’m sorry—it’s not your fault. I just...this is hard. It’s bringing back a lot of bad memories that I’d really rather forget.”

“Do you want to talk about it? You know that whatever you share will remain confidential between you and me. I just want to make sure everything’s okay.”

Keith looks down, slowly unclenching his fists.

“Do you know why I was expelled from the Garrison Institute?”

Shiro shakes his head. “Coran hasn’t said anything, no.”

“I was asked to leave because I beat up the headmaster’s son.”

“Keith—”

"And before you ask why I would do something like that, it’s because I thought I was in love with him and I made the mistake of confessing to him because I thought he felt the same way. And he laughed at me in front of everyone. He made a fool out of me, and I couldn’t take it, and I just...lost control.”

“I’m so sorry—”

“And all this shit with Lance...I just...I can’t believe I thought this place would be different. I can’t believe I misunderstood everything _again._ ”

Shiro places his hands on Keith’s shoulders.

“Keith, you didn’t misunderstand anything. Lance does feel the same way about you.”

“Shiro, I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but that’s ridiculous. That asshole literally just punched me in the face. What the hell are you talking about?”

“I know this is going to sound a little strange, but bear with me here. I talked to his friends Hunk and Pidge—they said that they knew he had a crush on you, but wasn’t aware of it, and they thought it would be funny if they convinced him to write a letter of challenge and send it to you. They didn’t think about the consequences, and they’re really sorry.”

Keith is incandescent with rage. “Great, so there are three assholes, not one. Perfect. I’m so glad I came here. This was the best fucking decision of my life.”

Shiro gulps and tries to backtrack. “No—Keith—what I’m asking you to do is to give Lance a second chance.”

“Why the fuck would I ever do that?”

Shiro sighs. He doesn’t have a good answer to that.

“I’m not saying you have to—I’m just asking you to consider it.”

“I’m not promising anything, but I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.”

* * *

 

Allura taps her fingers on her desk as she waits for Lance to arrive for his guidance counseling session. Technically, students only meet with her once a month and he already met with her last week, but she’s made an excuse about setting up an extra appointment so that she can do her part in helping things settle down between Keith and Lance.

Shiro has already told her that Keith has (albeit begrudgingly) agreed to at least think about giving Lance a second chance, so now it’s up to Allura to talk to Lance about what he can do to make things better.

She can barely contain her anticipation as she waits for the lanky junior to show up. Meetings with Lance are usually both entertaining and irritating, as he appears to have decided that Allura is going to be his guinea pig for all of the terrible pick-up lines he gets from god knows where instead of talking about his classes and where he wants to go to college. But Allura has a feeling that today is going to be a little different.

Lance doesn’t show up until fifteen minutes after his appointment is supposed to start, and he is extremely distracted, barely paying attention to anything she’s saying.

“Earth to Lance! Are you listening to me? We need to discuss some complaints I’ve received from your teachers about how absent-minded you’ve been in class recently.”

“Hold up, Ms. Allura—can we please talk about something else? I literally don’t know who else to talk to about this who won’t judge the hell out of me.”

Allura’s eyes sparkle at the prospect of being a student confidante. She hasn’t even had to pull out her powers of persuasion—Lance is opening up to her all by himself! She’s made progress, she’s finally connecting with the students—

“Can I please transfer to Class 8C? There are some super hot babes in there and I’d like to get to know them better.”

Well then. Maybe not.

“Absolutely not, Lance,” she says with a snort. “You will stay in the class you’re in. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

And then Allura looks closer at his face, and she notices several things that she realizes that she missed upon her first glance. Lance’s entire face is tense and strained, his flirtatious smile is pasted on. His eyes look lost, and something is telling her that he’s just waiting for someone to ask him if he’s okay.

So she does, and it turns out that he is _absolutely not_ , and that Lance’s guilt at hurting Keith’s face and feelings is eating him up inside because it turns out that what he thought is hate isn’t actually hate at all, and he just feels so very confused.

Allura listens to him ramble for several minutes before raising her hand to stop him in his tracks.

“Lance...have you ever considered the possibility that the reason you have such strong emotions about Keith is because you like him?”

Lance stares at her, eyes wide, as the emotions from this earth-shattering epiphany slowly spread through his body. He slams his palm against his forehead and moans into his arm.

“I— _oh my gohhhddddd_ —I’m such an idiot. **_I am such a tool._** ”

“I beg your pardon?”

_“I have a crush on Keith.”_

“Well—”

 _“I have feelings for fucking Keith and I thought I hated him._ ”

“I’m glad you’ve come to this realization, Lance!” Allura chirps brightly, preparing to share tips and advice on how to move forward, when Lance leaps up from his chair.

“Ms. Allura, I’ve gotta go.”

“Where are you going? We still have ten minutes left of our appointment!”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta fix this mess right now. I have to tell him how I really feel. _I have to write him an actual love letter_.”

“But Lance, wouldn’t it perhaps be better to tell him in person instead of writing him another letter—?”

Unfortunately, Lance doesn’t hear her, because he’s already gone.

* * *

 

Words are flying through Lance’s head as he rushes back to his room, trying to think of what he can possibly say to Keith that will convince him to give him another chance. He thinks of one opening and then another, ways to explain that he was in the wrong, but he wants to make things right.

He’s never written a love letter before, but he’s going to try to make this the best one he’s ever written.

 

_Dear Keith,_

_I didn’t mean to punch you. My bad._

 

_Dear Keith,_

_I just want to start off by saying I’m sorry._

 

_Dear Keith,_

_Can we please start over?_

 

_Dear Keith,_

_When I look into your eyes, the world just...stops, and I don’t know why._

* * *

 

The next day, Lance goes to Keith’s locker and gently pushes his letter through the slot before walking away. He wants Keith to take the time to find it himself and read it on his own terms without breathing down the back of his neck.

But Lance is not a naturally patient person, and he’s nervous about what’s going to happen, so around lunch, his feet automatically lead him back to that hallway, where Keith is standing in front of his locker once more, staring at it with trepidation.

“Um, Hey, Keith,” he mumbles, raising his hand in an awkward wave.

“Hey.”

“Um...did you get my new letter?”

Keith audibly groans, and Lance bites back the retort that immediately rises to his mouth. He needs to be nice about this, or he won’t get anywhere.

“No, I didn’t. What was in the letter this time?”

Lance can practically see the words _Not This Again_ floating between them in the air.

“Um...this time, it’s actually what you thought it was the first time.”

Keith raises an eyebrow. “And what, exactly, is that?”

Lance looks in every direction but Keith.  “Um...you know...like a love confession?”

“I see,” murmurs Keith, looking intently at his burning face.

Lance can practically feel the sweat puddling around his feet as Keith stares at him and starts to slowly approach, moving closer and closer. Soon, there is almost no space between them, and Keith leans up, only a few inches from his lips.

He looks up, his eyes half-lidded and filled with desire...

And then he punches Lance in the stomach.  

As Lance groans and doubles over in pain, Keith stands above him, grim and vengeful.

“That’s for last time,” he declares, his voice resonant and unrepentant.

“That’s fair,” whispers Lance, wincing. It hurts to speak. “I deserved that.”

What he doesn’t expect are the next words that come out of Keith’s mouth, as he leans down to meet Lance’s gaze.

"Try this again the proper way tomorrow and then we can talk."    

He walks away then, not looking back once, and Lance stares at his quickly retreating back in awe. Keith is unlike anyone he’s ever met in his life.

And he has no idea what “the proper way” is to go about doing this.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Lance gets home, he tries to psyche himself up and think of different ways he can make it up to Keith. Unfortunately, he finds his mind is blank, and once again, the only thing he can think of is writing another letter to Keith that he will probably never send. So he sits down at his desk again and pulls the pen out once more. 

_Dear Keith,_

_I'm not really good with words, but I can't think of anything else right now that I can do to make things better between us. I really, really, like you, and honestly? I'm scared shitless._

 

The next day, Lance talks to Hunk and Pidge about what he should do, and they both tell him he should just suck it up and apologize to Keith, but he still finds that he is too nervous.

 

_Dear Keith,_

_Have you ever had a boyfriend? I've always wondered what it's like, ever since I realized I like guys as much as I like girls. But I've never seriously thought about it until now. Nobody else has ever mattered until you._

 

The day after that, both Shiro and Allura come up to Lance at the same time after school, asking if he's made any progress. He looks away when he says no, not wanting to see the disappointed looks on their faces.

 

_Dear Keith,_

_Ms. Allura and Shiro came up to me today and asked if I’d made any progress with you. I know they meant if I’d talked to you about what happened between us, so I didn't tell them that I’ve progressed from staring at the back of your head and being furious about your mullet to wondering what it would feel like between my fingers while we’re making out under the stars._

_...do you like stargazing?_

 

On the fifth day after the incident, Lance writes two more letters and is about to call it a day when he realizes he’s being a coward and he needs to meet Keith’s challenge. He's only making himself miserable, and it's not getting him anywhere.

So he goes into town and to the only grocery store in town, buys a bunch of roses that seem a little overpriced, comes back to the dorms and grabs his guitar (which has been gathering dust for about a month, ever since the last girl Lance sang to told him he was tone deaf, which hurt his feelings even though he knows he’s not) and gathers all the letters into a thick bundle and tosses them into his bag.

He’s heading to Keith’s dorm room, and he's going to make the biggest romantic gesture in the history of Voltron Academy.

Unfortunately, when he calls Hunk and Pidge and tells them about his plan, they both flat out refuse to join him as his backup serenade band.

“You're just going to make things worse if you make a big deal out of things,” says Pidge.

“You really should keep this between the two of you,” says Hunk.

Lance begrudgingly agrees, and ultimately ends up making the long trek that evening to the transfer student dorm all by himself, growing more and more nervous with every step.

* * *

 

When Lance finally walks through the doors of the transfer student dorm, he’s practically breathless from nerves, but he forces himself to walk down the hallway.

As he gets ready to knock on the door, it suddenly opens and and Keith is there, right there, clutching a toothbrush in his hand and wearing his tight black t-shirt and a pair of loose red shorts and Lance is so distracted that he almost forgets why he’s there.

He startles as Keith scowls at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I, um—I came here to serenade you. Since you wanted me to do this the right way. I wasn’t sure what you meant, so I, uh—I thought I’d try something that I thought was pretty romantic.”

Keith crosses his arms and frowns as Lance looks around for a place to put the rose bouquet before ultimately deciding to put them on the ground. He stands back up and quickly tunes the guitar before launching into an acoustic cover of the All 4 One classic _I Swear_.

Lance knows it’s a bit of a risk, choosing such an openly mushy song, but he’s decided to go big or go home, and so he pours his heart and soul into the words.

_I swear by the moon and the stars in the skies_

_And I swear like the shadow that's by your side_

_I see the questions in your eyes_

_I know what's weighing on your mind_

_You can be sure I know my part_

_'Cause I'll stand beside you through the years_

_You'll only cry those happy tears_

_And though I make mistakes I'll never break your heart..._

As he sings, Keith watches him silently, his openly hostile expression slowly transforming into one that’s mildly embarrassed, and then to one that’s almost fond, if a little exasperated.

After Lance strums the final chord and the notes echo across the quiet hallway, he sighs and looks down, hanging his head low.

“I feel like an asshole.”

“Good. You should. Because you are one,” responds Keith, eyes narrow. “Also, that was the cheesiest song I have ever heard in my entire life.”

Lance looks up and squawks in protest before looking down again, shamefaced. “Yeah. I deserve that. I probably should have chosen a different song.”

Keith sucks in air and chews his lip before looking up to the ceiling with a loud sigh. “Are you just going to keep standing in the hallway or are you coming inside?”

“What—”

“You didn't just plan to serenade me, bring me flowers, and then _leave_ , did you?”

“Well, no—but—”

“Then come inside, you idiot.”

“That sounds dirty.”

“Can you stop being a dick for like thirty seconds?”

“Excuse you! I paid $70 for these roses. Aren't you going to thank me?”

Lance picks up the wilted bouquet and shoves it into Keith’s face, his expression manic and bold, though his eyes betray his true uncertainty.

“These roses aren't even worth $12. You got ripped off,” retorts Keith, pushing the flowers away and tossing them on his desk.

“Hey! Who's being the dick now? Excuse me for trying to be _thoughtful!”_ Lance shouts.

Keith rolls his eyes and sits on the edge of his bed, grabbing the book that was sitting on top of the pillow and pretending to start reading.

“I, uh, actually have something else for you too,” says Lance, suddenly quiet.

Keith looks up to see a thick bundle of paper mere millimeters from his face. “What is it?”

“Um, Letters. Love letters. Five of them. For every day that's passed since I punched you when you thought I was going to kiss you.”

“Lance—”

“Please just read them, give me a chance, I know I fucked up but—”

“ _Lance._ ”

“I've been such an asshole—”

“ **LANCE!** ”

Lance stops babbling, shocked into silence.

“What? Did I fuck up again? Shit, shit, shiiiiit—”

Keith suddenly stands up and moves to face him.

“Lance. Is it always 0 to 100 with you?”

“Wha-what? What do you mean?” Lance stammers.

“All I wanted was a genuine apology. And I wanted to know if you were actually, you know...interested…”

At this, Keith looks away, flushing for the first time himself.

“I am,” says Lance fervently. “Aren't you?”

“I just—don't understand why all of this was necessary.”

“What do you mean? Girls usually love this stuff—”

“Yeah. I'm not a girl.”

“That. That is true. Wow. I'm an idiot.”

Keith snorts. “For what it's worth, I appreciate the gesture.”

Lance lights up but immediately dampens his enthusiasm as he realizes he can't quite interpret the other boy’s intent, and as he knits his brows together in confusion, Keith suddenly bursts into a bright peal of laughter that's unlike anything Lance has ever heard before.

“You're really something, you know that?” says Keith, wiping the tears from his eyes that are flowing freely from laughing so hard.

“I’m sorry, I—so does that mean you actually liked the flowers—and the letters?”

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of into it. You’re an idiot, but you’re cute. Actually, I noticed you on my first day, when you got in my face like the asshole you are,” says Keith, smiling fondly.

Lance’s eyes widen. “So...so that’s a yes, right?”

Keith sighs and grasps Lance’s bony wrists, pulling him down to to join him on edge of the mattress, which groans loudly as Lance’s weight leans into it. Silently, he clutches his shirt and pulls him closer, staring at Lance intently and feeling the warmth of his shallow breathing on his skin, slowly closing his eyes and quickly pressing his lips against Lance’s before pulling back with a small smirk.

“Yes, it is.”

And then Lance smiles, and it's a smile so soft and bright and hopeful that it makes Keith’s heart stagger a little bit, and he catches his breath as he watches a dark pink flush spread across Lance’s cheeks.

Lance raises his right hand to gently cup Keith’s cheek, the calloused edges of his fingers which usually meet guitar strings now lightly exploring the contours of his face. Keith closes his eyes, letting himself fall like he’s never fallen before, headfirst and eager as Lance leans in and softly kisses him again and again, ardent but nervous—still too shy to release himself to the fervent desire that Keith knows is swelling within him like a high tide.

Keith’s eyes suddenly flash keenly and he presses into Lance, pushing him backwards onto the bed. He hovers above him on all fours, feeling Lance’s hands growing sweaty and warm as he presses them into the pillow and meets his gaze, not wavering once. The mattress trembles as Lance shivers with anticipation.

“I’ve never—this is my first time—” he whispers, his voice hoarse with desire.

Keith leans back and searches his face for any sign of hesitation.

“Is this okay? Are you okay?”

Lance nods. “Yes— _yes_.”

“Okay,” breathes Keith, caressing Lance’s cheeks and swimming in the piercing blue of his wide eyes before closing his eyes and diving in, pressing his mouth to Lance’s and darting his tongue past his chapped but tender lips.

Lance gasps sharply and pulls Keith closer, tangling his hands in his hair and releasing himself to the fierce and desperate hunger consuming every single inch of his body, pressing closer, deeper, _harder_. He’s never wanted anyone so much in his life, never understood what true rapture felt like until this moment, when his breath is mingling with Keith’s in soft, needy sighs.

Keith is pure fire and Lance is warm and wet and melting underneath him, quivering and shaking and keening and moaning as his hands slide up his back and Keith knows that he needs him like a fire needs oxygen to breathe.

“ _Closer_ ,” he whispers hoarsely, eyes shining and utterly ruined as he trails kisses up Lance’s jawline. “ _I need you closer_.”

Lance smiles and moves his lips to the edge of Keith’s ear, where he presses a soft kiss to his earlobe before whispering, “ _But I’m already here_.”  

And it’s true; all their limbs are intertwined, and Lance’s arms are hot and heavy and sweaty and enclosing him entirely. Keith has never felt so alive as he does now, lost in the inelegant motions and pure sensation of discovering each other as drops of sweat fall from his brow and onto Lance’s flushed red cheeks like happy tears.

For the first time in his life, as his legs are tangled in another boy’s who is kissing his neck and looking at him like he’s the moon and stars all in one, Keith actually feels like he matters, like there’s a reason he’s here on this earth.

And perhaps it’s the adrenaline pumping through his veins or the endorphins flooding his body, but it occurs to him that maybe, this is what love feels like.

 

 


	2. koalas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance helps Keith confront the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have fun friends! :D

Dating Lance is an _experience_.

Sometimes good, sometimes weird, sometimes infuriating. Because Keith isn’t used to being around people all the time, while Lance hates being alone.

And so in what Lance sickeningly likes to call “their honeymoon period”, he wants to be around Keith literally all the time. He texts him first thing in the morning, he shows up outside his dormitory door if they don’t spend the night together, and he’s even somehow managed to convince Ms. Allura to change his lunch period to match Keith’s (a little birdy named Pidge tells Keith that the usually strict guidance counselor only agreed to change his lunch period because he promised to stop trying out pickup lines on her)

And while Keith appreciates Lance’s enthusiasm, he also finds it mildly suffocating at times. But he’s not exactly sure how to talk about it to anyone.

Luckily, Hunk picks up on the fact that all is not quite right in Lance and Keith’s honeymoon paradise, and he stops Keith after lunch one day.

“Keith, buddy, Lance is like a koala,” he says.  “You’ve got to figure out how to nip that in the bud if you want some personal space.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“You’ve got to tell him when he’s clinging to you too much, or he’s just going to keep hanging off of you all the time. I mean, I don’t really care too much, he reminds me of my little brothers who practically climb my legs when I go home during breaks, but I know you’re not used to it.”

“What if I’m overreacting though? I don’t want to hurt his feelings, you know?”

Hunk shakes his head. “Nah. Lance is a lot to handle. Even just as a friend. I can’t even imagine what it’s like dating him. Speaking of which– what _is_ it like dating him, anyway? Ever since I’ve met him, he’s just been a huge flirt. He’s never had an actual girlfriend or boyfriend since I’ve known him. And I’ve never seen him as into someone as he is into you. He really, really likes you.”

Keith blushes and looks down. “Well...it’s...it’s really nice. Yeah.”

Hunk laughs. “Is that it? Just ‘nice’?”

Keith doesn’t know what to say, exactly. He’s never been one for too many words, and the reasons that dating Lance is “nice” isn’t something he really knows how to describe. It’s the first time he’s ever felt like someone has really cared about him, who would notice if something happened to him, who would seek him out in the middle of a storm, to make sure that he’s okay. It's the first time anyone has ever given him an affectionate pet name, and even though he knows it's silly, he still feels a little thrill thrumming up from his stomach to his chest every time Lance calls him “babe”.

He doesn’t know how to describe the warm feeling of being wrapped in Lance’s free flowing affection, how to put into words what it’s like to wake up to Lance curled up next to him in his too small twin extra long bed, his walnut hair spilling across the pillow.

But it appears that he doesn’t need to, for Hunk can tell exactly what he’s feeling from the starry look in Keith’s eyes.

“You’ve got it bad, my friend,” says his cheerful friend. “I feel like you might just be a koala too.”

* * *

After three nights in a row where Lance stays in Keith’s room until 3am and Keith is subsequently so sleepy in class that Shiro even asks him if everything is okay, he finally decides it's time to say something to his boyfriend about how much time they’re spending together during lunch, before their friends arrive at the lunch table.

Things don't exactly go as planned.

“Hunk called me _what?”_ says Lance, practically howling with laughter. “A _koala_? What does that even mean?”

“He said I was one too!”

Lance looks at Keith appraisingly. “Come to think of it, you _are_ kind of like a koala. You have a death grip when you hold onto my arms when we watch horror movies. And you climb me like a tree.”

“I don’t think that’s what Hunk meant.”

“Aww, babe, I have a new nickname for you now! Koala!”

Pidge clears her throat and announces her arrival at the table, which has gone completely unnoticed by both boys, by spouting out a random fact just as Hunk walks up with his tray.

“Did you know that when koalas fight, they sound like they've swallowed helium balloons?”

Hunk raises an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Pidge?”

“Oh, Lance has a new nickname for Keith. He’s calling him ‘Koala’ now.”

Hunk turns to Keith, who shrugs and flushes.

“Keith…” he starts, before sighing and shaking his head.

Lance lights up as he notices his jolly friend standing beside the table.

“Hunk! Thanks for the nickname inspiration! Keith really is just like a koala. He’s got soft hair and he’s cuddly and he has sharp claws that he likes to dig into my-”

“Ew, don’t be gross,” interrupts Pidge, rolling her eyes. “I’m eating lunch.”

“You’re just jealous of our love, Pidge.”

“I would rather marry a robot than go on a date with either of you.”

Lance pouts. “Way harsh, Tai. Why are you raining on my parade? You aren’t this mean to Hunk!”

“That’s because Hunk doesn’t tell me what Shay likes to do to him while I’m in the middle of lunch.”

“Hey, don’t bring me into this!” protests Hunk. “I haven’t done anything other than trying to help my friends. And Shay and I are—”

“ _Just friends_ ,” chime in Pidge and Lance in unison, while Keith watches with interest.

“That’s fair, I guess,” says Lance. “Someday, though, Hunk. Someday soon you will have your own koala bear just like I do.”

He turns to Keith with a fond and sweet smile and rumples his hair before getting up from the table. “Time to go to class. By the way, babe, have I told you lately how hot you are?”  

Keith turns an unflattering shade of red. “ _Do we have to do this here?_ ” he mutters in a low voice.

“Yup!” declares Lance. “You lost our bet and you have to deal with it. Two more weeks. So tell me, have I told you lately how hot you are?”

Keith groans and mumbles, “No. How hot am I?”

“You’re as hot as the sun, and I’m your earth, revolving around you forever.”

Hunk tries to hide a smile while Pidge gags.

* * *

After the lunch bell rings, Lance tugs on Keith’s sleeve to hold him back as the others leave.

“Hey— you know the dumb pickup lines are just a silly joke, right? I mean yeah, you lost the bet, but if it’s really bothering you, I can stop. I don’t actually want to be a dick. I’ve been enough of a douche to you already.”

Keith feels mildly guilty for being annoyed with Lance— he’s just trying to have a bit of fun, and there’s no doubt that even though the flirting is completely over the top, Lance is being completely genuine. He is his boyfriend, after all. And he doesn’t want to hold the whole letter misunderstanding over him forever, especially considering the beautiful love letters that Lance wrote for him afterward. He hasn’t told him, but he always carries his favorite letters in his backpack.

“No, it’s okay, I’m fine,” he replies, his tone shorter and more clipped than he intends for it to be, and in his rush to leave the lunchroom, he misses the troubled look on Lance’s face.

* * *

After dinner, Keith is surprised when Lance doesn’t tag along behind him to his room as he has for the past two weeks, and though he is surprised to admit to himself that he’s grown accustomed to Lance’s constant murmuring and humming while he works on his homework in the evening, it’s nice to have some alone time for the first time in a while.

Still, Keith starts feeling antsy after half an hour of sitting in silence, and it suddenly occurs to him that Hunk was right. He _is_ a koala, in a way. Being with Lance has changed him, and what he once craved—alone time—no longer feels the same.  

This time, he’s the one that texts first.

* * *

**Keith** : Hey, why didn’t you come over after dinner tonight?

 **Lance** : Oh, I figured you wanted some alone time

 **Lance** : I know I’ve been coming over a lot

 **Lance** : I forget that you’re not used to it

 **Lance** : I don’t want to exhaust you

 **Keith** : What? You’re not exhausting me

 **Keith** : Hold on

 **Keith** : That doesn’t sound like you

 **Lance:** Um..yeah…

 **Lance** : I kind of talked to Hunk

 **Lance:** I was feeling kind of worried after lunch and he noticed

 **Keith:** Oh

 **Keith** : ...what did he say?

 **Lance** : He explained what he actually meant about the whole koala thing

 **Keith:** Ah, fuck

 **Keith** : Lance

 **Keith** : I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier

 **Keith** : I just didn’t know what to say

 **Keith** : And I felt like I was being a dick

 **Lance:** Dude

 **Lance** : Never feel like a dick for communicating

 **Lance** : Because clearly that’s our biggest issue

 **Lance** : Look, if I’m in your face, just tell me

 **Lance:** I’m a big boy

 **Lance:** I can handle it

 **Lance:** Pidge literally insults me all day

 **Lance** : If I can’t take a hint from my boyfriend

 **Lance:** Then I’m not much of a man

 **Keith:** Heh

 **Keith** : What are you doing right now

 **Lance:** Thinkin about you, babe

 **Lance:** Like always ;)

 **Keith** : Come over

 **Keith** : I want to tell you something in person

 **Keith** : I’ve been waiting to talk to you about it

 **Keith** : I think now is finally the right time

 **Lance** : is that code for doing something dirty?

 **Keith:** Lance.

 **Lance** : I’m /kidding/

 **Lance** : I’ll be over in 10

* * *

Keith paces around his room like a restless lion until Lance finally arrives, looking curious.

“Okay, so what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

“Have I ever told you why I left the Garrison Institute?”

“Oh! Are we doing storytime? Man, I did not come prepared.”

“ _Lance_. I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay, I’m listening.”

“So I was a scholarship student there—”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“So I didn’t have time to make friends or anything. I was always trying to keep my grades up and focus on fencing so I could stay on top of everything. And I was doing a good job.”

“Okay…”

“Until I met _him_.”

* * *

“Babe, I can’t believe you’ve been holding that in this whole time,” says Lance, squeezing Keith’s hand.

Keith sighs and looks down. “Yeah, I just...it’s hard to talk about you, know? I know my anger issues are something I still need to work out, but I’ve never been humiliated like that before, and I haven’t since.”

Lance shakes his head. “We need to do something about this. Let’s go out. You need to get out of here.”

“Like what? It’s already 9pm. Curfew is in half an hour.”

“Not a problem! I was thinking Altea Freeze, it’s just a five minute drive from here.”

“Yeah, but a twenty minute walk. Red’s in the shop.”

“You know, I have a car too…”

Keith rolls his eyes. “That piece of junk that you call a car is about to die. I highly doubt it can even get us to the exit of the school, let alone the ice cream shop down the road.”

“ _Heyyyyy_ , what did Blue ever do to you? She’s a trusty old sedan and she works hard. It’s not her fault that she’s old. She’s got brittle bones.”

“Cars don’t have bones.”

“My dear literal koala, it’s called a metaphor.”

“Whatever. Fine. Let’s go.”

* * *

Despite his better instincts, Keith gets into Lance’s car, deciding that perhaps an ice cream cone isn’t such a bad idea after all, especially considering how shaken up he feels after remembering the events from the Garrison Institute.

But Lance doesn’t stop at the Altea Freeze.

In fact, he drives right past it, merging onto the road that leads towards the highway.

The very highway that taken north, which happens to be the direction they’re going in, will lead straight to the Garrison Institute.

“Lance, what are you doing?!”

“Babe, we are going to your old school so I can kick Zachariah Black’s ass straight into hell.”

“ _WHAT?!_ NO!”

“Yup, it’s happening, so you might as well settle in for the ride.”

“Lance, what the fuck is wrong with you? I got expelled for beating him up!”

“Exactly. REVENGE.”

“Are you crazy? This isn’t some sort of movie or game! We could get in serious trouble!”

“I don’t care. You expect me to listen to you tell me that some douchefuck with purple hair and gold contacts who turned you down in front of everyone _and_ got you kicked out and not _do_ anything?!”

“I knew I shouldn’t have shown you his picture,” mutters Keith, glowering as he leans against the window and looks at the fields rushing by.

There’s nothing to be done. He is trapped in his obstinate and reckless fucking boyfriend’s wreck of a car, going 90 miles per hour down the highway towards his least favorite place in the world, just so he can exact unnecessary revenge.

* * *

Keith’s scolding falls upon deaf ears over the next two hours, and soon, they have arrived on the Garrison Institute campus. Lance parks in a discreet place on a nearby street, and quietly slinks towards the entrance while Keith follows him, continuing to berate him in a low voice.

“Lance, this is stupid. And reckless!”

“Hey, I’m not the one who got expelled from this place. They don’t even know who I am. We’re gonna be fine.”

“When you said you wanted to get revenge, I did not realize this was what you meant!”

“How is that even possible? Haven’t you ever seen any teen movies where the heroes get revenge on the villains?”

“No,” says Keith flatly as Lance drags him through the doors of the Garrison Institute.

“Man, I really wanted to go here,” whispers Lance in an awed voice as they walk through the quiet hallways, whistling at its ornate interiors. “I was so cut up when I didn’t get in.”

“ _I don’t want to be here_ ,” hisses Keith in response, snarling like an angry cat. “They have security cameras everywhere. We’re going to get caught.”

“Calm down, babe,” murmurs Lance, his voice like caramel as he squeezes Keith’s tense shoulders, pressing a kiss against the nape of his neck. “Your man has _got_ this. I asked Pidge to hack in and remotely disable all of the security cameras ages ago.”

“You have no _fucking_ clue what you’re doing. None at all.”

Lance whirls Keith around to face him, blue eyes blazing. “I know that I’m angry at how that asshole treated you. I know that I want to make him feel worse than he ever made you feel. And I definitely know I can do that by beating the shit out of him.”

“You don’t have to do this,” says Keith, for the millionth time. “I told you, it’s fine.”

“I know,” says Lance. “But I want to. For you.”

Keith’s frown continues to deepen, and Lance sighs.

“Will it make you feel any better if I tell you that I packed a first aid kit in case things go wrong? I mean they’re not, but I have Hunk on speed dial, too. It’s gonna be fine.”

“We are two hours away from the Academy. It doesn’t matter if you have Hunk on speed dial. He’s not gonna get here in time.”

“Babe, please stop worrying and let me beat up the asshole who rejected you and let me feel like a hero.”

“I regret ever telling you this story.”

“I mean, I guess I could thank him, too...if he accepted your confession, we probably wouldn’t be together.”

“I can’t believe you just said that!”

“Come on! It was a joke! You really need to work on your sense of humor. Lest you forget, it was my idea to come here to beat him up tonight.”

“Yes, and it was a stupid idea! Zachariah Black is not a joke! Do I need to remind you that his father is the actual headmaster of the Garrison Institute? And that I got expelled from this place the last time I tried beating him up?”

Lance snorts. “Are you kidding me? I’ve heard he’s 5’6’ and a total loser. Pidge told me that he plays the same online video game that she does and his username is Emperor Zarkon. _Emperor Zarkon_ , Keith. What kind of a username is that? Does he have some sort of Napoleon complex?  Honestly, I don’t even understand what you saw in him in the first place.”

Keith twists his lips into a wry smile. “Me neither. He fucking sucks.”  

* * *

Lance looks with confusion around the vast halls. “So where do students sleep here anyway? Where do we need to go to beat this guy up?”

“The boys’ dormitories are down this way,” says Keith, pointing down a particularly cavernous hall that has an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “If Zach is still here, he’s probably in one of the rooms down there.”

A sly grin spreads across Lance’s face.  “Sweet. So we’ll go in there and break his face.”

“For the millionth time, even if you got Pidge to disable all of the security cameras, beating up the son of the fucking headmaster isn’t exactly going to go well for either of us. And you call _me_ impulsive! Are you listening to yourself right now?”

“You’re right. It’s not worth getting our knuckles bloody for this douchenozzle. I have a better idea. Let’s reverse Home Alone this instead.”

Keith blinks in confusion. Lance does this a lot, making references to things he’s never seen.

“What are you talking about?”

“I always forget you’re practically like an alien when it comes to popular culture. It’s basically a movie where a kid beats up home invaders without actually touching them. So like- we’re the inverse. We’re the intruders, but coming up with a clever way to smash in Emperor Zarkon’s face without breaking a nail.”

“You don’t have any nails, you bite them all off.”

“Besides the point!”

“Okay, so what is your brilliant plan?”

Lance twists his lips, wondering how to explain the mechanics of his idea to someone who’s never seen _Home Alone_.

He’s not sure he can do it.

But Pidge can.

* * *

“We have to _what?!_ ” screeches Keith as Pidge snickers over Facetime.

“Look, Keith, I know that you’ve never seen the movie, but that’s what Lance means. And honestly, I’m surprised, but this is the best idea he’s ever come up with. I think you’ve actually had a good influence on his brain.”

“Hey, just so you know, I heard that!” protests Lance.

“I know,” says Pidge. “That’s why I said it.”

“Guys, I don’t know about this,” cuts in Hunk, voice wavering. “This is wrong.”

“Hunk, my friend, my buddy, my pal, my love—my other love, that is,” says Lance, turning to smirk at Keith, “This is the chance of a lifetime for you. Let out your inner prankster. Use your engineering powers for chaotic good. I know you’ve watched Home Alone like fifty times.”

“Yeah, but I would never actually do anything like that! It’s a fantasy!”

“Not anymore, my friend. Tonight, fantasy becomes reality,” trills Lance. “Tonight, you and Pidge are going to tell my boyfriend and me how to set up the best booby traps the world has ever seen.”

“But—” protests Hunk, as Pidge cackles. “I didn’t sign up for this!”

“You signed up for this the day we became friends, buddy,” responds Lance.

Pidge cuts in. “Okay, Keith. You have to help me out a little bit here. What kind of stuff did Emperor Zarkon have in his room?”

“Well…” considers Keith, trying to remember. There was a time when he knew the inside of Zach’s room well, but he no longer does.

Pidge sighs. “Hold on.”

She moves out of view, fiddling away on her laptop, while Hunk squawks behind her. “Pidge, that’s wrong, that’s such an invasion of privacy! You can’t do that!”

Pidge slides back into the screen with a manic grin on her face. “If you want to do some in person reconnaissance, I just found out what room he lives in now. 6006. It’s on the second floor of the building you’re in now. I also found out where the closest supply closets are to the room. They’re one floor up, right next to the hallway door. And the good news for you is that he isn’t home right now. I hacked into his phone and he’s spending the night with some dude called Sendak. What kind of name is that? So weird. Anyway, the text messages were actually pretty kinky—”

Hunk cuts her off by clapping his hand over her mouth. “I really don’t think Keith wants to hear that.”

Pidge rolls her eyes and Lance nods in approval. “Gross, but okay. That gives us some more time. Let’s do this.”

* * *

Adrenaline is pumping through Keith’s veins as they walk closer and closer to Zach’s room. It’s been almost a year since he walked down these hallways, since he got humiliated in front of the entire class and was unceremoniously kicked out.

At the time, he was filled with sheer rage and sorrow and the feeling of utter betrayal. All he saw was red—pure red, and he still doesn’t remember everything that happened. It was all consuming and terrifying, and even though he hasn’t told Lance, it’s one of the main reasons he didn’t want to come back here tonight.

But fate has other plans, and his strong-willed, obstinate boyfriend has literally dragged him to confront his past, in the silliest way possible...through an elaborate series of pranks.

It’s funny, where life has taken him.

But still, he thought this would be easier than it is, and as they approach the room, Keith falters.

Rationally, he knows that Zach is not inside. He knows that he’s not there, and that Pidge has disabled all the cameras, and that they are both skilled enough at sneaking around to not get caught.

And yet...he hesitates.

Lance catches onto his reluctance immediately and grasps onto his arm.

“Hey, babe, are you okay? You seem pale.”

Keith shakes his head. “I...yeah, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” replies Lance, pursing his lips. “I don’t think you should go to that douchefuck’s room. I can do the reconnaissance. You get the stuff from the supply closet.”

Keith sighs and leans forward, momentarily resting his head against the crook of Lance’s neck.

“Thanks.”

Lance murmurs something unintelligible and wraps his arms around him, and for a few moments they sway, moving back and forth in a sort of standing waltz.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Keith is standing outside Zach’s new room with a bucket of tar, mops, a toolbox, super glue, rope, and several other odds and ends that Pidge has directed him to pick up. He’s not even sure what all of them do, but he trusts his devious little gremlin friend, who seems to be reveling in the information that Lance has been feeding to her.

He waits for Lance to come back out of the room and is mildly surprised to see the look of disgust on his boyfriend’s face as he closes the door behind him.

“What? What happened?”

“That is the most emo room I have ever been inside in my entire life.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being emo,” says Keith, eyes narrowed.

“Babe, I know, and you really make the whole 100% black clothing thing and eyeliner thing  work, but he’s not just emo. The douchenozzle had purple cat ears hanging on his wall. Purple. Cat. Ears.”

“Oh. So he still has those,” responds Keith, chortling.

Lance raises his eyebrows so high they’re practically touching the ceiling.

“You...you knew he had those...and you were still into him?”

Keith shrugs. “I’m not saying I had the greatest taste in men. Or that I do now.”

“Rude.”

“I was joking. Who’s the one who has a bad sense of humor now?”

Lance sighs and smiles, but something tells Keith it has nothing to do with his joke.

“We’ve really got to work on your line delivery.”

* * *

Within twenty minutes, Zachariah Black’s room looks like a prankster’s paradise, with paint and shampoo streaked floors, his fancy lego collection torn apart and glued to strategic places in the floor for maximum stepping pain, and a bucket of water hanging precariously over the door (an engineering feat directed by Hunk, who continues to protest the entire endeavor but somehow continues to come up with ingenious ways of booby trapping the room).

Wet socks have been placed all over the bed, while Lance has glued the purple cat ears to the fan overhead and turned it on at full speed, snickering as the purple faux fur revolves around. They have emptied two bottles of cologne onto his large purple pillow, which Lance has drawn a face on that eerily resembles their foe (Keith is surprised by his boyfriend’s artistic skills), and has pulled his uniform over it, making the pillow look like an extra large voodoo doll. Lance perches the makeshift doll on the computer chair facing the door, placing a cosplay wig he finds on the desk on top of it as a final touch.

Pidge, who continues to stay connected to them via Facetime so she can see everything that's happening, has a frighteningly manic look on her face during all of this, and something tells Keith that she’s doing unspeakable things to Zach’s computer. But he decides it would probably be in his best interest not to ask.

It’s past midnight when Hunk hesitantly points out that they’ve set up at least fifty different booby traps, and that it might be a good time to stop.

“Hunk, you’re right,” says Keith. “Come on, Lance, let’s go back. This is more than enough.”

“Aww, babe, but I had so many more ideas!”

“This is enough to make him regret messing with anyone. I’m sure of it.”

“Fineeee. Let’s go home.”

* * *

Keith and Lance run to the car, breathless from laughter, cheeks flushed, and they can’t stop laughing as they start driving.

Pidge calls Keith’s phone just as they cross the town border. As he picks up and puts her on speaker, her voice is giddy with anticipation.

“Guys! He’s coming back! I turned the cameras back on and saw that Emperor Zarkon is on his way back.”

“Oh shit!” shouts Lance. “What’s happening now?”

“He’s walking up the stairs with a huge smile on his face. But he won’t be smiling for long,” she adds, a savage glee lacing her words.

Keith nods with satisfaction. “Good.”

“You guys wanna see? I can feed the video to your phone.”

“Aww, man, I really do, but I’m driving,” says Lance.

Keith points at a gas station on the opposite side of the road. “Let’s pull over there for a minute.”

“Good idea.”

Lance parks just as Pidge transfers the video feed to Keith’s phone, and they watch in glee as Zachariah “Emperor Zarkon” Black gets his just desserts.

Keith grins as he watches every trap go off, practically clapping his hands with glee.

And even though Lance is just as enthralled at first, his gaze soon turns to Keith, and he can’t look away from the bright smile on his face as he laughs, his face tension free for the first time in days.

This is what he came for. This is why he wanted to come on this crazy journey in the first place, risking Keith’s anger. Just to see him laugh again.

Lance doesn’t understand how anyone could _want_ to genuinely hurt him.

He knows he’s done it himself. He was an idiot. He still is, sometimes.

Keith turns to him, noticing his sudden silence. “Hey, what’s up?”

Lance shakes his head and smiles. “Nothing. I’m just...you’re okay with this, right? I know this was kind of a crazy idea—and really kind of dumb—”

“ _It was fucking insane_ , is what it was,” interjects Keith. “The stupidest idea you’ve ever come up with.”

Lance opens his mouth to protest, but before he can say anything, Keith’s lips are pressed against his, and all his thoughts are brushed away, replaced by the warmth pooling in his stomach and spreading through his body as he leans deeper into the kiss.

Kissing Keith is familiar now, in the most wonderful way. Lance knows what makes him sigh, he knows exactly how to make his pulse start racing, and how to make him whisper _“More,”_ in that husky voice that sends shivering thrills up Lance’s spine.

And yet something about this moment feels new and exhilarating, borne of adrenaline and pure mischief, and Lance suddenly nips at Keith’s bottom lip, like a playful lion cub, and Keith’s eyes fly open in surprise before narrowing in a mischievous look of his own as he pulls away and dives toward Lance's neck, and as his lips work their way up his skin, Lance has a feeling that even though he's the one who bit first, Keith is going to be the one who leaves a mark.

Lance whimpers as Keith’s breath ghosts across his cheeks, waiting fretfully for him to turn his attention back to his thirsty, needy lips, pursed in an expectant moue.

Keith laughs quietly at his boyfriend’s impatience and moves his hands up to cup the sharp curves of his jaw as he shifts back upward and leans forward so their foreheads touch.

“Thank you,” Keith whispers against his lips. “For everything.”

* * *

Concerned would be one way to describe how Shiro feels right now. Or panicked. Or livid.

He has just completed his nightly round of the dorms, but Keith is not in his room.

Normally, this means that he is in Lance’s room, which is fine. Despite the fact that students are not allowed to spend the night in each other’s rooms, Shiro often lets it slide if he knows the students in question are responsible, and he knows that Keith and Lance are. Usually, he would trust them to be back on campus at a reasonable time far more than he would trust, say, Pidge.

But Allura has just called him and informed him that Lance’s room is empty as well, and given that Shay, the student monitor, has just texted him to inform him that all the recreational student areas are empty, that can only mean one thing.

It’s almost 1 am, and neither Lance nor Keith are on campus.

Even though Shiro has all of the phone numbers of the students he mentors, he doesn’t like to call them unless it’s absolutely necessary, but this time, it looks like he has no choice, and with a long sigh, he dials the number.

Keith sounds guilty when he picks up.

“Hello?”

“Keith, where are you? I came by your room and you weren’t there, and Allura said that Lance wasn’t in his room either. Are the two of you together? Are you off campus?”

“Umm...yeah,” Keith responds, slow and hesitant. “We’re...we’re in Lance’s car.”

“Keith, you know I have always supported your friendship and relationship, but you need to come back to campus right now. It’s four hours past curfew. I expect better from both of you.”

“We...we’re on our way back. But..uh...it’s gonna take some time.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re on the highway. We kind of—well, I’ll explain it later.”

“You’re on the highway?!”

“Yeah—wait...Lance, what are you doing? What’s happening?”

Shiro hears Lance cursing in what sounds like several languages and the loud sputtering of an engine before Keith responds again, in a voice much darker than before.

“My brilliant boyfriend here forgot to fill his ancient car up with gas. Even though we were even sitting at a goddamn gas station earlier. And it just died.”

“Her name is Blue, and she does not appreciate the implied insult!” protests Lance. “And you didn't see I was out of gas either!”

Shiro hears the sounds of shuffling and struggling and what sounds like Keith muffling Lance’s mouth with his jacket sleeve before Keith’s voice comes wavering through the phone once more.

“Shiro, can you hear me? We’re stranded on the highway. Arus 1. There’s no way we can make it back to campus unless someone comes out and gets us.”

“Are you serious?”

Lance’s voice whines through the phone. “I’m sorry, Shiro—please help us? Pleaseeee? We can't do this alone, we need youuuu.”

“I don’t get paid enough to do this,” mutters Shiro, pressing his palm against his face with a groan.

* * *

“What on earth are they doing on the highway in the middle of the night?” shouts Allura, as Shiro conveys the news to her as she meets him in the main dormitory common room, which is thankfully both deserted at the moment and soundproof.

“What do any teenagers do in a car at night, Allura?” replies Shiro, rubbing his temple with his hand.

Allura shakes her head primly. “Honestly, I truly expected more from both of them.”

“At this point, I'm more worried about how we’re going to bring them back. If either of us get our cars, Headmaster Coran is going to wake up and ask where we’re going. You know what a light sleeper he is.”

Allura purses her lips. “Well, we could tell him we’re going for a late night grocery run, if he wakes up.”

“Allura, you know I love and respect you, but you are the worst liar on god’s green earth and Headmaster Coran won't believe you for a second, no matter how hard you try to be convincing.”

“But he's practically my second father.”

“My point exactly.”

“So then what do you suggest we do?”

“I've got an idea,” pipes up Pidge as she walks into the room. It's clear from the look on her face that she’s been eavesdropping.

“Pidge, why are you awake?” scolds Allura. “Classes begin at 8am!”

Pidge shrugs. “That's what coffee is for.”

“Katie Holt, you are sixteen years old. It does not matter that you skipped two grades. You are still too young to drink coffee regularly!”

“Besides the point,” Pidge interjects. “You have a problem. I have the solution.”

“Okay, okay,” says Shiro, trying to calm the situation down. “What is your solution, Pidge?”

“We take one of the school minibuses. They’re big, we can all fit into them, we can use them to tow Blue back, and they’re parked on the other side of campus, so Headmaster Coran won’t hear it and wake up.”

“Hmm,” says Allura, considering the idea, as Hunk walks into the room behind her, yawning as he heads towards the kitchen area . “It’s not a terrible thought.”

Shiro sighs. “Pidge, even if this crazy idea of yours works, who is going to drive the bus? Don’t try to convince me that you know how to drive it because you drive the Holt Family Van. I know that thing is huge, but it’s still not a bus.”

Pidge blinks innocently. “Who said I was going to drive the bus? Hunk is going to drive it.”

“Wait, what?!” squawks Hunk, whirling around as he hears his name. “I just got out of bed and came in here to get a glass of water! Why are we talking about me driving a bus? What’s going on?”

Shiro shakes his head. “Don’t worry, Hunk. Pidge is just being facetious. Go back to bed.”

“No, I’m not!” protests Pidge. “Hunk is a certified bus driver.”

Shiro blinks, confused. “How— what?”

Pidge pats his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Just accept that he is. Hunk, we need to take a little spin in Yellow. Right now.”

“What?! Can someone please explain what’s going on?”

Allura cuts in. “Hunk, Lance and Keith are stranded on the highway.”

“Yeah, he didn’t fill Blue up with gas when you told him to,” adds Pidge, waving her arms. “And now they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. Typical.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I told him to fill the tank up two days ago.”

“Oh, that was a bad idea. Two days ago he was busy writing a song for Keith in the common room for like three hours and he definitely wasn’t even listening to anything you said.”

“But Keith doesn’t even like his singing!”

Pidge snorts. “You think Lance doesn’t know that? That’s why he was so determined to write a song that would convince Keith of his talent.”

“Why. Why is he my best friend. Why.”

“We already discussed this earlier, Hunk,” says Pidge. “Come on, big guy. Time to rev up Yellow.”

“I deserve better than this,” mutters Hunk.

“I know.”

“I told him to fill up the gas.”

“I know.”

“I’m going to kill him after I rescue him.”

“ _I know._ ”

* * *

Later, Shiro will reflect on the absurdity of the situation he is in right now, but right now, he’s too focused on bringing Keith and Lance back to campus, so he doesn’t really think about how strange it is that he’s crouched in a tiny minibus seat meant for someone much smaller than him, while Allura hovers over his shoulder, gripping the back of his seat so tightly it's almost buckling, Pidge is sticking some sort of speed tracking device out the window, and Hunk is muttering a constant stream of what sounds like curse words under his breath as he merges onto the highway.

Shiro sighs and picks up his phone to call Keith, who immediately answers.

“Hi Shiro, are you coming?” he asks, sounding far more relaxed than a seventeen year old punk who's stranded in the middle of a country highway should have the right to sound.

“Yes,” says Shiro. “Sit tight, I'm on my way.”

“Okay.”

He doesn't mention that he's bringing the entire peanut gallery with him. At this point, it doesn't really matter.

* * *

“What’s your favorite constellation?” Lance asks Keith.

They’re sitting on the hood of Blue, stargazing while they wait for Shiro to arrive.

“I don't know,” says Keith. “I've never really had much time to stop and look at the sky.”

“It's one of my favorite things to do.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, it's one of the things you mentioned in your last letter to me.”

“You remember that?”

“How could I forget? I always carry it with me.”

Lance turns to Keith, eyes wide.

“ _You what…?!”_

“Yeah, I keep it in my wallet. It's...it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever written for me. It's not really something I'm used to,” says Keith, flushing in the darkness.

“Shit, I wrote that because I didn't know how to talk to you or what to say— I don't even remember what I said!”

Keith laughs and leans forward. “Well, you wrote that you wondered what it would be like to have your fingers tangled in my hair while we made out under the stars—”

He takes Lance’s hands and places them on either side of his head, brushing the strands through his fingers.

“And you asked me if I liked stargazing.”

Lance stares at him breathlessly.

Keith grins and pulls away.

“Do you count as a star? Because I like staring at you.”

Lance blinks.

“Did you just—”

“I did.”

“Oh my god.”

* * *

Keith has told Lance that Shiro is coming to pick them up, so when he is gazing down the highway, he is expecting to see Shiro’s sleek black SUV.

What he does _not_ expect to see is Yellow, the Voltron Academy minibus that Hunk drives on occasion, speeding towards him as the sound of Pidge’s whooping voice carries down the deserted road.

“What…” he starts, gaping at the scene.

“Is going on?” Keith completes the thought.

They slide off the hood of the car in shocked silence as the bus pulls up beside them and Shiro, Ms. Allura, Pidge, and Hunk all file out.

They stare at each other silently for a few moments before Hunk rushes towards them first, berating his two friends so strongly that Shiro finds that he doesn’t have to say anything at all. Instead, he and Pidge retrieve the towing cables from inside the bus and attach Lance’s poor dead car to the back, while Allura hovers behind Keith and Lance like a fretful mother hen, herding them into the bus.

In a matter of minutes, they are back on the road, slowly making their way back to Voltron Academy, with Keith and Lance sitting in the bumpy seats in the back of the bus, holding hands and smiling like fools, as though they’ve just spent the past few hours on a romantic date instead of sabotaging a room and ending up getting stranded on a highway.

Keith knows that all eyes (even Hunk, who keeps sneaking peeks in the rearview mirror) are discreetly on him and Lance, for they are both brimming with a bubbling sort of giddiness that is infectious, even when it is nearly 3 in the morning. He knows that they are curious—Ms. Allura and Shiro in particular, who have not been privy to the previous events of the night.

But for some reason, he finds that for once, he doesn’t care.

In the short time that they have been together so far, normally, Lance has always been the one who’s demonstrative in public when it comes to displays of affection, while Keith has always preferred a bit more privacy when it comes to sharing his feelings.

But tonight, despite everything, Lance has helped Keith overcome the dark undercurrent of shame and regret that he didn’t even realize was still within him, and for that, he is willing to deal with some curious stares.

As Lance turns to smile at him, Keith squeezes his hand tighter.

They’re good. They’re strong.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> come say hello to me at [stardusted](http://stardusted.tumblr.com) on tumblr!


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